Limit Trans Fat

Trans fat is so prevalent in our diets that it's almost impossible to avoid consuming a few grams.  Trans fat may contribute to our cell's resistance to insulin, and this resistance may in turn lead to obesity.  By changing the way our cells behave, trans fat also contributes to cancer and diabetes and heart disease.  In a study conducted by Harvard University, researchers determined that healthier people ate no more than 2 or 3 grams of trans fat per day.  Consider the following suggestions:

• Read food Labels! If it has the word, "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredients, don't eat it.
• Keep total fat intake between 20 and 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in fish, nuts, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, avocados, and vegetable oils.   These fats may help lower your blood cholesterol level when used in place of saturated fat.
• Use olive oil for cooking and salads. Nutritionists are also taking a fresh look at coconut and palm oils, which may have cancer-fighting benefits.
• Avoid fried foods in restaurants.  Some food chains are making the move away from using trans fat.
• Reduce your intake of processed foods, and look for those made with healthy oils.  When you buy a muffin premade at the grocery store, if it's not packaged, there's no way to read the ingredients.  Just assume it contains trans fat, probably made with partially hydrogenated fat of some kind. Eat an apple instead.
• Watch portions. If food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat, the FDA will allow it to carry a trans-fat-free label, so check the ingredients label to see if "partially hydrogenated oil" is listed.  Limit portions to limit trans-fat intake.

Read Food Labels

If you are still buying pre-packaged & prepared foods, you must read the labels and ingredient lists!

What is “in” the food stuffs you are holding in your hands, considering purchasing and consuming to your body?

First off, look to see if it contains “partially hydrogenated oils.” Partially Hydrogenated fats are the fat manufacturers have invented to make the food last longer on the store’s shelves. It contains artery clogging “trans fats”. Avoid at all costs!

Second, look to avoid the cheap sweetener “High Fructose Corn Syrup,” found in many foods from bread, salad dressings, soft drinks and juices, plus many others. This sugar substance, which has a different molecular structure than table sugar, plays havoc with our appetite suppressing hormone leptin, so you never get the message that you’re full! Plus, High Fructose Corn Syrup does not require insulin to enter our cells, so it is quickly stored as fat.

Third; look to avoid ingredients listed that you don’t know what they are and have a difficult time pronouncing. These could be preservatives, flavor enhancers, food colorings, etc.

So, what do we buy instead? When shopping, stick mainly to the outside perimeter of the store. Buy foods in their most natural forms; fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat meats, poultry & fish.

But wait a minute! Does this mean I will have to do more cooking from scratch? Yes! And you can do it! Checkout some good cookbooks, (I love some by Mollie Katzen), and start cooking! If time is an issue, pick 1 day a week when you have more time to prepare, chop and cook ahead of time. You can do it! Where there is a will, there is a way!